Still Re-Editing! Only A Thousand Posts To Go (Ha, Ha)…

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Or something like that. Yes, I’m still updating content from the old blog to the new one, but I’m ONLY down to about 1000 posts to go over (er, whee?). I’ll probably buckle down with them over the Xmas holidays and see how many I can get done. I’ve forced things a bit in some new reviews by referencing older posts, which had me then fix those posts to where they’re entirely readable instead of just the first paragraph. In the end, the text isn’t the real problem – it’s the galleries that take the most work to bring over. I also found a bunch of lost stuff and some drafts I’ve been meaning to complete, but those will get some love after the holidays.

Hyperdimension Neptunia* Mk2 Trailer: Fan Service, Plus Tax (Where Applicable)

Yikes, Nippon Ichi is doing it again (and doing it again sooner than you think). Yup, the beloved (and mildly insane) Hyperdimension Neptunia is getting a sequel and yup, it’s looking like another otaku dream game come true. OK, I bought the first game and it baffled me mightily (I must be getting too old for certain things, eek!), but I just might give this sequel a chance just because the promised improvements look, well, promising!

As usual, NISA is pulling out the stops with a slick Limited Edition Premium Box at an excellent price direct from their Online Store (The best place to buy any Nippon Ichi games, I say). Yup, it’s NOW available for pre-order (as is the standard edition). Did I mention the NISA Online Store has FREE domestic shipping? No? well, it does!  Hmmm. I bet February 2012 can’t get here fast enough for some more of you, right?

*And yup, it SHOULD be Neptuniaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa *cough!* aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!, but NISA probably hates when I do that…

Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Platform: PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

Developer: Bethesda Softworks

Publisher: Bethesda Softwroks

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A

At some point, if you happen to know someone who’s also playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you WILL get a phone call, email or text with some variation of the following: “Hey, can you help me out on this quest?” It’ll most likely be something you’ve already done and maybe bragged or shared a tale of woe about to your buddy, but you’ll find the results in their case may be slightly to very different. Sure, some of the basics will be familiar, but after that, it’s up in the air. Perhaps they got challenged to a drinking contest, woke up in a temple in a faraway city, had to help clean up the place (or not) and now have a big mystery to solve that sends them to a new town they’d never even seen before. Or maybe it’s the odd Argonian woman who desperately wants you to take that strange item off her hands, and now your friend has a creepy cube that looks like something from a Hellraiser film stuck in their inventory. Or maybe it’s about that strange note handed to them by a cryptic courier asking them to visit an unusual museum in a most unexpected place where a darker mission lurks. Or the paid assassins that assaulted them while traveling and after killing the thugs and looting their possessions, an odd letter is revealed that only brings up more questions than answers. And so forth and so on… Continue reading

Gallery: PC-Engine/Turbo Grafx/Duo Library

More stuff from the collection. All the import shooters and some key platformers and RPG’s are gone thanks to selling them off, but there’ still a nice selection of games here including a number of titles that would have given both the SNES and Genesis some decent competition had NEC and TTI had the time and money to localized them. Given that these folks had the first CD-based home console out in Japan before the Sega CD (and more than enough games to support it), I wonder every now and them how the system wars of the early 80’s would have turned out had the T-16, Duo and Turbo Express gotten the proper respect.

Trine 2: FrozenByte’s Instant Platform/Puzzle Classic

The original Trine was a blast of fresh air, mixing action, platform jumping, puzzle solving and fantasy elements almost flawlessly in a solid, engaging PC (and later console) experience. The sequel, Trine 2, has just hit PC and Mac courtesy of Atlus and is a must buy game whether or not you’ve played the original. Just take a look at the trailer above and try not to reach for that wallet… See? Me, I’m holding out for a retail release like the first game that doesn’t tie me to a download service, as I’m not a big fan of losing that much privacy. Anyway, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are coming soon via PSN and XBLA, so keep an eye peeled for those soon!

Classic Gaming Expo 2012 Update: Vegas, Baby!

And here you go: the first official update on next year’s CGE! I’d only been to the show once when it was at the Riviera a few years back, but I see the renovated Plaza Hotel seems to be the place to be next year.  More news to come as it becomes available!

Of Orcs & Men Gameplay Trailer: One To Watch While It Cooks…

Shaping up to be quite an interesting surprise in an overcrowded genre, Cyanide Studios and Spiders’ upcoming Of Orcs & Men is looking to be one of those games RPG fans will want to keep an eye on. This first gameplay teaser shows off some gorgeous visuals and as it’s coming to consoles as well as PC next year, both camps should be happy, provided the game looks and plays similarly across all platforms. I’ve got my fingers crossed that this one’s got a story as good as the visuals as well as enough gameplay depth to keep me busy for a while and coming back for more.

The Last of Us: Cryptic, Indeed. And A PS3 Exclusive…

I usually avoid Spike TV’s Video game awards (and hell, ANY game awards shows) like the plague (you pretty much always know who’s going to win in this skewed “Popular = Good!” scenario that crops up year after year) but the teaser trailers and mysterious website for the upcoming PS3 exclusive has me maybe wanting to break my self-imposed stubborn streak. Then again, I’m supposed to be immune to this sort of marketing (and maybe I am after all), but I really want to find out more about this upcoming game. I’m getting a modern survival terror vibe from the site and trailer, but we’ll see what’s what. The Spike VGA’s are on TV December 10. Maybe I’ll watch them this year… maybe not…

Gallery: Mega-CD Library

Not as large as the other libraries (and nope, nowhere near complete), here’s some Mega-CD titles to pore over. I have a bunch of Sega CD and UK Mega CD titles as well, but I’d sold off most of the core titles, so it’s a shadow of its former self. It’s too bad Sega or any other publishers didn’t have enough time to localize MORE of the RPG’s for the add-on, as games such as Shadowrun (an all-new version created for the platform), Record of Lodoss War, Shin Megami Tensei, Illusion City, Fhey Area, Cosmic Fantasy Stories, Death Bringer and others here would have made for a much more impressive lineup. But, hey – we DID get the fighting/RPG hybrid Battle Fantasy here as Revengers of Vengeance, so THAT makes up for a lot (he said, eyes rolling in his head)…

Nano Assault Blasts Into Stores

Shin’en’s third game in the Nanostray series has finally landed on the 3DS this time out and yes, you SHOULD run, drive, hop, skip or jump to your favorite game shop to snap this one up. Nano Assault takes things to the third dimension in style, so expect to fall off your bus seat when you’re bobbing and weaving like a formerly sleepy salaryman on a caffeine high. Majesco has another portable winner for the holiday season – review incoming.